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Mission Statement

The mission of the museum is to preserve, acquire, and interpret our past in order to make a better future.

Description

Historic Bethabara Park, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, established to bequeath the Moravian heritage to the future in trust and to maintain a historic museum at the 175-acre, 1753 site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina. Historic structures include the unique 1788 Gemeinhaus, the 1782 Potter's and 1803 Distiller's Houses and the 1816 log structure. Reconstructed structures include a 1752 cabin, the four buildings of the 1753-54 settlement, community and medical gardens, a 1756 French and Indian War palisade fort and a 1765 barn. The Museum also contains 40 stabilized archaeological foundations, the sites of the Bethabara Mill, village and fort complex, and two colonial graveyards. The flora and fauna found in the surrounding flood plain forest and adjacent uplands remain similar to the wilderness environment of the colonial frontier settlement.

The past to be interpreted is the period 1752-1820, especially the 20 years from 1752-1772, when the first Moravian settlers founded Bethabara as a religious, medical, educational, cultural, artistic, trade, and business center. THe Museum focuses on five major educational areas of interest: 1.) Moravian and frontier history, 2.) the archaeology park, 3.) the 1753 wilderness preserve, 4) the colonial gardens and agriculture, and 5.) community and school outreach programs.

Bethabara is important locally as the birthplace of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Regionally it is important for its role in attracting settlers to the Carolina Piedmont Backcountry; its wildlife preserve and its natural history; and its programs to restore the natural history of the area. Historic Bethabara is one of 12 statewide WILD education sites. The site is a local historic district, on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.